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Michael Dell had some harsh words for netbooks in a recent speech. He claimed that a user might like a netbook just fine, until they’ve used it. “About 36 hours later, they're saying 'The screen's gonna have to go. Give me my 15-inch screen back,’” said Dell. He claimed that consumers really prefer higher end machines in the long run.
Of Windows 7 Dell said, “Performance is kind of coming back.” This may have been a well masked condemnation of Vista’s inability to run acceptably on netbooks. Clearly, he would prefer you buy a more expensive computer, but according to Dell’s CEO, 80% of their business doesn’t come from individual consumers anyway. He pointed out that this dynamic meant Dell could bounce back from the slowdown quickly.
The next time you’re about to buy that cheap netbook, just take a second. Think about what Michael Dell would like you to do: spend more money. He’s probably just saying it because he’s concerned for your user experience, right?
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mealy58
October 15, 2009 at 10:21am
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mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}One of my company’s executives loved the Lenovo S10's we
have for travel so much he bought a Dell netbook and had us configure it....If
I had to work on a Dell netbook for more than an hour I would junk it. Our
Lenovo's are perfect sturdy comfortable to use and great if you just are in need of an email or remote desktop portal.
The Dell is poorly constructed with poor touchpad control.
rb3m
October 15, 2009 at 8:00am
If I didn't have heavy computing requirements, gaming, video editing, etc. and was in school dorm with limited space and a limited budget, then, yeah, I may consider a netbook as a main system. After all, plug in a usb keyboard and mouse, a external DVD drive and a monitor and you overcome the most obvious limitations. Of course, CPU speed and graphic performance would still be a problem.
MleB
October 15, 2009 at 6:09am
I bought the original EeePC 701 when they first came out and it very much my portable computer, leaving the bulkier tasks to my equally bulky 'old' notebook back at home. But it also meant that it was with me whenever I went out and was, for weeks at a time when away from home, my primary computer.
A couple of months ago, I upgraded to an EeePC 1005HA and my experience with it (and based on my experience with the original) has meant that I have now completely migrated away from the home computer as both my daily and travel computer with few issues whatsoever. Smaller screen and keyboard? Yes. Less powerful? Sure. But it does 95% of the stuff I need a computer for, is a fraction of the weight and size of my last notebook, has a battery that will last me for a full day away from the mains and is truly portable. Oh, and is a fraction of the cost of a similarly sized 'real' notebook.
And that's the real issue that puts off Dell, Steve Jobs et al. Size and capabilities certainly hasn't prevented companies (and consumers) from considering underpowered smartphones as a 'must-have' - its how much money they make on the devices that matters.
MleB
October 15, 2009 at 6:09am
I bought the original EeePC 701 when they fisrt came out and it very much my portable computer, leaving the bulkier tasks to my equally bulky 'old' notebook back at home. But it also meant that it was with me whenever I went out and was, for weeks at a time when away from home, my primary computer.
A couple of months ago, I upgraded to an EeePC 1005HA and my experience with it (and based on my experience with the original) has meant that I have now completely migrated away from the home computer as both my daily and travel computer with few issues whatsoever. Smaller screen and keyboard? Yes. Less powerful? Sure. But it does 95% of the stuff I need a computer for, is a fraction of the weight and size of my last notebook, has a battery that will last me for a full day away from the mains and is truly portable. Oh, and is a fraction of the cost of a similarly sized 'real' notebook.
And that's the real issue that puts off Dell, Steve Jobs et al. Size and capabilities certainly hasn't prevented companies (and consumers) from considering underpowered smartphones as a 'must-have' - its how much money they make on the devices that matters.
tweeve
October 15, 2009 at 12:39am
I have a desktop I use for Gaming and other general computing, and
a Gateway M275 tablet that is aging fast. I take my tablet everywhere
I go. It works great at college, but there are time I would like be
able to have a computer that has a little better mobility than my
laptop. A netbook would work great for that, I can sync my notes from
my tablet and have a nice long battery life with a netbook. Netbooks
are also nice for when you are traveling. Nice and small easy to
transport.My brother got a netbook just for traveling around Europe this
summer. He used it to keep in contact was us over sykpe and used it
to post pictures onto the Internet, It was great. There is also the
nice low price tag that goes with it, at $400 - $600 for most
netbooks. If it gets stolen, its easier to replace than a normal
laptop that is easily twice that much. Also since most netbooks
wouldn't be a primary computer most your data is also on other
computers so you wouldn't loose as much data if it got stolen.
lien_meat
October 15, 2009 at 12:47am
I agree, netbooks work great, as long as you don't try to make them your primary computer...which I think some people make the mistake of doing. My sister almost did. She didn't understand that it wasn't going to handle everything she needed a computer for, until someone else confirmed it for her.
PS. This is the first comment I've seen of you on here...
### I'm an idiot, and I approve this message ###
Tekzel
October 14, 2009 at 9:38pm
I have a decent notebook, 2gb of ram, dual core proc, 17in display. Its nice but god DAMN the thing is huge. I also have an aspire one netbook, and find myself taking it with me 90% of the time. Its just so conveniently small and runs forever on a charge. I can deal with the keyboard and screen size. Its not optimal, but there has to be a tradeoff.
DriZzLe
October 14, 2009 at 9:12pm
Best purchase I have made in years. I use my Eee pc 900a daily. Running Windows 7 Pro, it is a perfect extension of my desktop. Only wish for it- gaming graphics...other than that, it is awesome. I don't know what I would do without it.
DogPatch1149
October 14, 2009 at 8:41pm
I Don't Think You'll Be a Lasting Dell Convert After 36 Hours of Usage.
tkddan87
October 14, 2009 at 8:09pm
I can not see anyone seriously taking a netbook as a primary computer even if they do not need the horsepower, a nettop is a far better option just for the ease of use of normal size screen and keyboard. i use my netbook (hp mini 1000) almost daily and while it is fantastic for while i am on campus it lacks the horsepower to smoothly stream video or flash animation on a website. Granted it is a first generation and does what i demand of it i can not see anyone using one for more than a companion to a more powerfull platform.
Modred189
October 14, 2009 at 6:48pm
My netbook (an Acer Aspire One A150, win7 pro) is my primary system for much of the day. While I go to law school, it is PERFECT because it has sick battery (~6hrs), is really light (compensates for heavy law books) and runs Microsoft Office/Outlook, Google Chrome and my Zune software just fine. I don't see taht I need much more than tat.
Now, Once I get home, my main rig is all i touch (thanks dropbox for syncing).
1337Goose
October 14, 2009 at 7:03pm
I've heard a lot of good stuff about netbooks for school.
Just polling your opinion, but if you didn't have that main rig at home, do you think you might have invested in something beefier than a netbook? I don't know, I'm just curious. I have a netbook too, but the small keyboard and screen really hurt the bottom line for me.
~Goose
Modred189
October 14, 2009 at 8:12pm
Yea, if I did not have the system at home, it would be a tough call. First, it would be unlikely, since I am a PC gamer (no consoles in my apt at all), but if i had to chose, I would probably go for something more standard, given that i would want the access to an optical drive and a larger screen, plus more horsepower to facilitate photoshopping and moving media around. So, while I agree with Mr. Dell that netbooks are not good for PRIMARY systems (and that's what i consider my main system to be), that's not to say that netbooks cannot be used for the majority of work in a more business-oriented setting.
I just cannot see myself being without a desktop at all. Too many benefits vs a laptop. For me, the desktop+netbook combination is perfect.
1337Goose
October 14, 2009 at 6:36pm
Netbooks naturally lend themselves so a specific subset of purposes. If he means that nobody would -- er -- should buy a netbook to use as a primary computer, he's probably right. Even casual users who only "browse the internet and check email" should consider at least a low end laptop with a decent sized screen and keyboard.
However, netbooks are terribly convenient for using on the bus, or on the couch while watching tv. Using a netbook as a primary computer however, is debatable.
~Goose
